Birchanger

I was lucky when I visited as the church was locked, with no evidence of a keyholder, but a kind lady heard me trying the door and let me have a look around and take pictures. The exterior suffers from the loss of the tower (it also didn't help that it was overcast and mizzly) but the interior was interesting - the more so since it is normally inaccessible to the casual visitor!

St Mary the Virgin is one of the 250 Anglo-Saxon, or part Anglo-Saxon, churches that survive in Britain. It is built of flint rubble with dressings of limestone and clunch, and dates from the Saxo-Norman period (1000 to 1199). Birchanger may have had some kind of pre-conquest church but, due to re-building and alteration over the years what preceded St Mary is a matter for conjecture.

In the 1930's a 12th century south doorway was discovered, the internal arch was subsequently raised to accommodate the staircase to the organ gallery. Although similar in decoration to the west doorway it has additional foliage scrolls along the arch and a small carving high up in the tympanum depicting the Lamb of God, with cross flag of victory.

The interesting brass mentioned by Mee is to Lt Jack Southard Watney. He was killed in action at Tweefontein, in De Wet's attack on Christmas morning, 1901. He was the eldest son of Mrs Hattie Watney of 24 Clanricarde Gardens,and of Ernest Watney. He was born in March 1882, and educated at St Paul's School and at Eton. He volunteered for active service in South Africa, and first served in the ranks of the Imperial Yeomanry. He was quickly promoted sergeant, and appointed to the 11th Battalion in June 1901, as machine gun commander, with the rank of Lieutenant in the army. In the action in which he fell he was in command of a maxim gun, and reported by Lord Kitchener to have been killed "while heading a charge". He died with all the men of his gun section around him either killed or wounded. Lieutenant Watney was buried at Tweefontein, and his name was inscribed on an obelisk, which has been erected there in memory of all those who fell in this action. He was buried near the battlefield but his remains were moved to Harrismith cemetery in 1958/9.

ST MARY. Norman nave and E.E. chancel. A round tower was demolished at some time. The bellcote on the nave is C19. N aisle by Sir Arthur Blomfield 1898. The interesting thing about the church is the two Norman doorways, W (reset and no doubt originally N) and S. The S doorway was discovered only about 1930. The two doorways are similar in decoration, but there is, as usual, a little more emphasis on the S. Abaci decorated with chip-carved saltire crosses, tympana with frieze of saltire crosses at the foot. On the S side in addition foliage scrolls along the extrados of the arch and - a feature unique in Essex although quite common in many other counties - figure carving high up in the tympanum. It is a minimum of figure carving, a lamb, small and placed oddly at a slight angle. - BENCHES. Seven, plain, with buttresses; restored. - PLATE. Cup of 1567.

St Mary the Virgin

Aisle and Organ Gallery

Jack Southard Watney

Is this graffiti and if so, is it a camel, a five legged horse or an excited stallion?

Window detail

Arthur Mee:

BIRCHANGER. Very impressive are the trees at the great house, a splendid clump of eight elms in a field, a lovely larch in the churchyard, and a superb cedar of Lebanon, 18 feet round the trunk. Birchanger Place has also a dovecot with plaster nests still on its walls. The church has lost the old round tower which would have made it one of a select little company of seven in Essex; but it has kept its Norman nave with two doorways, each with a tympanum, one carved with a horse. The chancel is a century younger, with four small lancet windows. We come in through one of the Norman doorways to see a 15th century font, seven benches as old, and a modern brass, interesting as being one of the first pictures of a soldier's khaki uniform on a memorial. It is to Jack Watney, a lad of 19 who fell in South Africa in 1901, and shows a figure in khaki in front of a machine-gun. The gravestone of a rector tells a moving little story of Advent Sunday in 1877, Walter Hatch had taken as his text the words "Come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord"; and only a few minutes later "God took him."

Saffron Walden Reporter 03/01/19

Churches hit by raiders over Christmas period

IMOGEN BRADDICK

A church in Birchanger has launched an appeal to replace stolen items after the building was broken into twice in 10 days.
On the first occasion, on December 17, thieves smashed a window and stole more than £500 in cash and valuable church artefacts.

It is understood the suspects first made their way to St John’s Church in Stansted Mountfitchet and stole keys from a locked container before going onto St Mary’s Church, in Birchanger. No other items were stolen from St John’s Church.

Police believe the thieves may have been on bikes or mopeds and rode through Digby Wood on their way to Birchanger.

Elaine Wright, churchwarden for St Mary’s Church, said: “They broke into the benefice office in Stansted first and used keys they found to open our church and safe. About £852 in cash, a silver early 19th century chalice, flagon [jug] and a small communion set were taken to the value of £2,500. They broke a lead window as well - why they did this when they had keys we don’t know

“On December 27 we were alerted that the church had been broken into again. The other window to the Vestry was smashed and they prized open the wood in place of the other broken window to gain access.

“No money was taken or church items, but they did have a good sort through cupboards and caused a terrible mess. Prior to this happening they had broken into the Stansted office again. A description of a suspect is being dealt with by the police.”

The church believes the perpetrators planned the raid in advance using local knowledge because the thieves seemed to know where to find the money and that the cash was in a safe.

A spokesman for the church said: “We are devastated and saddened that this has happened, especially during the run up to Christmas, a time of peace and goodwill. Needless to say, the keys are now safely kept in a secure place off the premises.”

Flickr set.